Young Love for Teenagers
by jibariechizen
Summary: A girl named Ryuzaki Sakuno has a crush on Ryoma and in turned out that she was already in love. Ryoma Echizen met this girl and for the rest of his days, he found out his affections for Sakuno. And their love started to grow.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Ryoma was still asleep in the middle of the night when his phone rang. He didn't notice it but his cat, Karupin, did. Karupin licked Ryoma's cheek to wake him up.

"What is it, Karupin? It's still midnight," Ryoma complained. He heard his cellphone vibrating. 'Who can this be? It's very late in the evening…' he thought.

He answered the phone, "Hello?" in a sleepy way. But at the other line, it hanged up. "What a bastard, disturbing sleepyheads in this time…" then he fell asleep again.

It was Sakuno at the other line. She can't sleep, she keeps thinking of Ryoma. She wanted to talk to him, but she's too shy and Ryoma's too aloof. And she found herself asleep with little tears in her eyes.

It was a warm Monday morning. The alarm clock rang when it stroked 6:00 am. Ryoma pushed the button of the alarm to stop it. He opened his eyes and he saw his room filled out with sunlight, 'Another day…' he thought.

He stood up from his bed and stretched his arms while yawning. He went to the washroom to brush his teeth and he dressed himself up. After dressing up his school uniform, he picked up his bag full of things with of course, tennis stuff, and went downstairs to eat.

"Ohayou," Nanako greeted. She served Ryoma breakfast.

"Ohayou…" Ryoma replied, still sleepy. He saw his breakfast, and he ate it. He was not yet finished eating when Momo arrived.

"Hoii! Echizen! Come out there now! We're going to school!" Momo shouted from outside Ryoma's house.

"Momo-senpai?! Why is he early today?!" he complained and quickly ran towards their gate leaving their house and took a bicycle ride with Momo.

"Why are you so early? I didn't even finish my breakfast," Ryoma complained at Momo's back.

"You should be used to it, baka," Momo shouted at Ryoma, paddling the bike so hard and fast and they arrived at Seigaku at no time.

It was still a same day from the previous ones, same activities that they're going to do, same faces will be seen, and same boring teachers to discuss lessons.

But of course, tennis club has their morning assembly everyday. So when Ryoma and Momo arrived, they quickly went to the tennis court.

"Why are you two late?!" Coach Ryuzaki shouted at the two. "Didn't I tell you already that we're adjusting the time of our morning assembly earlier!?"

"But, Sensei, I was absent last week," Ryoma explained to Coach Ryuzaki.

"Why? Didn't someone tell you about the new schedule?" Coach Ryuzaki asked still angry.

Ryoma shook his head. After all, he was telling the truth.

_**Flashback**_

_"Ryoma, don't attend classes tomorrow," Nanjirou exclaimed._

_"Why? It's Friday tomorrow, why can't we just go at Saturday?" Ryoma asked._

_"We're going to America to visit my former rival when I was still in my glory days,"_

_"Do I really need to come with you?"_

_"Of course, you do. He has a son that has a same age like you do now, and he plays tennis as well, you can consider him, too, as your rival. Like father, like son!"_

_'A rival, eh?' Ryoma thought._

_"Ok, then I'm going," Ryoma looked at his father and Nanjirou smirked._

_They went to the airport to go to America by that time. It took many hours at the ride to arrive at America. Finally, they were in America._

_Nanjirou saw ladies again with big breasts, his eyes dropped in excitement._

_"I'm back in America! Where there are big-breasted ladies here, and beautiful, too!" Nanjirou exclaimed while jumping in happiness._

_'Here he goes again,' Ryoma thought._

_"Hey, old man, where is your __rival you're saying?" Ryoma asked with his eyebrows raised._

_"Oh, yeah," he said and stopped jumping. "Come on."_

_Few steps later, they arrived at a tennis clubhouse where Nanjirou's rival owns. Nanjirou saw his rival playing with his son._

_"Hey!! Smith! Remember me?!" Nanjirou shouted from a distance._

_Smith looked back where somebody is calling him then he saw Nanjirou waving at him, "Nanjirou!"_

_He ran towards Nanjirou leaving his son on the court. "Came to a visit?"_

_"Yes," Nanjirou nodded._

_"Well, come in!"_

_They went to one of Smith's resthouse at the clubhouse as visitors._

_"You're still doing great, my **rival**," emphasizing the word rival, Nanjirou provokes Smith._

_"Hey, hey. No time to fight first," Smith refused Nanjirou's dare to have a fight. "I thought you brought your son?"_

_Nanjirou's scary looked became dull then he called out Ryoma, "Ryoma! Smith is finding you!"_

_Ryoma comes out from the washroom and faced Smith._

_"Ah, he really looks like his father," Smith said smiling while staring at Ryoma._

_"He's Ryoma Echizen," Nanjirou said proudly introducing his son. "The next tennis champion in the history, who'd continue my unfinished battles."_

_"And here's my son," Smith pointed out his son. "Kevin Smith, the rival of the champion."_

_Kevin glared at Ryoma and Ryoma glared at Kevin as well. They're glaring at each other, like real rivals already._

_"Shake hands!" Smith and Nanjirou said at the same time._

_They were surprised when they saw Kevin and Ryoma glaring at each other._

_"Hey, hey," Nanjirou smirked. "Looks like we really have some rivals here!"_

_"Yeah," Smith agreed._

_**End of flashback**_

"Then why were you absent in the first place?" Coach Ryuzaki lifted her eyebrow.

"We went to America," Ryoma said while his bangs covered his eyes. "Me and my dad need to."

Coach Ryuzaki nodded. It made Ryoma sigh.

"And you, Momo?" Coach Ryuzaki shouted out.

Momo gulped.

"Why are you late?" Coach Ryuzaki asked in a high tone.

"I woke up late," Momo explained, still smiling.

"20 laps around the court!" Tezuka shouted. "For being late."

Momo ran around the court 20 times. And soon, the practices have begun.

While the team does this, Sakuno secretly stares at Ryoma while practicing, hitting some balls, everything. She looks at him really carefully. 'Why am I here? Just because of Ryoma?' she thought.

Later on, at lunch time, tennis club didn't have a practice because of a test after the period after lunch. Ryoma went to the rooftop of the school to rest. Sakuno went there as well, but she didn't know Ryoma was there.

Ryoma was at one bench, asleep, with a Manga on his face. Sakuno saw this boy without knowing it was Ryoma.

"Hey," Sakuno said like she was pissed off. "Why are you here? Wake up!"

Ryoma took away the Manga on his face and sat up, "You don't want me here? Then, I'll go down."

Sakuno turned really red when she saw it was Ryoma, "Gomen, I didn't know it was you."

Ryoma stood up and went to the door and opened it, "I think you really don't want me here." He went downstairs and just slept outside below a big-shaded tree.

'You fool! You should have asked questions nicely!' Sakuno thought, hating herself on what she did. "I thought it was already my chance…"

Many times, she keeps on failing to have a conversation with Ryoma.

Fuji, Eiji, Momo, and for the first time, with Ryoma, they ate together at a fast food chain. They ordered burgers. Of course, Momo has his own menu, 50 burgers in one order.

"Wait a sec," Ryoma excused. "I'll just wash my hands."

When he was on the way to the washing area, a girl bumped her and this caused the spilling of the softdrink on Ryoma. The girl was Sakuno.

"Sorry," Ryoma said.

"No, I'm sorry," Sakuno blushed in embarrassment.

Ryoma just looked at Sakuno. Then Sakuno said, "I always get you in trouble, Ryoma, I'm sorry."

"So, you're the girl at school?" Ryoma asked.

"Yes," Sakuno blushed. "Sorry, really, really, sorry."

Ryoma held Sakuno's hand and they went to the counter. Sakuno blushed when he saw Ryoma holding his hands like he'll never let her go. Ryoma ordered another food for Sakuno from the one he spilled out.

"Why did you buy me another?" Sakuno asked while blushing.

"It was my fault," Ryoma explained. "So I owe you one."

"But-" Sakuno was cutted off by Ryoma. Ryoma said, "No buts. Just have it, and, I'm really sorry."

Sakuno can't believe that Ryoma was this nice to others.

When Ryoma went back at their table together with his senpais, the 3 teased Ryoma on what just happened.

"Nice one, Ryoma," Fuji said with of course, his perpetually closed eyes.

"You're too young!" Eiji and Momo said at the same time. This made Ryoma annoyed.

"What's with that?" Ryoma said raising his eyebrows. "I just bought her another meal because it was my fault for spilling out her meal. I just did the right thing!"

At the other side, Sakuno again stares at Ryoma on what he did. She saw how Ryoma was teased by his senpais.

'You are really a good person, Ryoma,' Sakuno thought.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Sakuno was still blushing that time that she can't eat her food given by Ryoma.

"Hey, Sakuno, stop daydreaming," Tomoka teased.

"I'm not," Sakuno blushed more. "He's just so kind."

"If you really love him," Tomoka said and made Sakuno stare at her. "Eat that food. It was given by Ryoma after all."

Sakuno just smiled. She ate the food happily.

At the other side, Ryoma, Fuji, Eiji, and Momo planned to go home. They passed by to where Tomoka and Sakuno are.

"Eat well," Ryoma said but facing his back to Sakuno. Sakuno then smiled, "Thanks."

The next day, Ryoma woke up early because he already know about the rescheduled morning training Coach Ryuzaki made, and he also knows that Momo will come early to pick him up.

"Ryoma," Nanako uttered. "Karupin is looking for you."

Ryoma looked at Karupin and he knows that his cat wants to play with him.

"I'm sorry, Karupin," Ryoma frowned. "I'll be going. I'll just play with you when I come back."

Karupin sat and just watched Ryoma go.

Then Momo came to pick Ryoma up, "Ryoma, you're just in time." he laughed.

When they arrived at Seigaku, of course, they started to practice.

"Ryoma-my-love!!" Tomoka cried out.

"Tomoka," Sakuno uttered while blushing. "I can't believe you have the nerve to call Ryoma like that!"

"Of course I can do it," she said like she's the only girl in school. "I'm the number 1 fan of Ryoma-my-love!"

Sakuno sighed and still can't believe Tomoka.

**Later on**

Morning trainings are over. The team changed their jerseys into their uniforms.

Momo, panting, then talked to Ryoma while changing clothes, "You were really into me, aren't you, Ryoma?"

"No," Ryoma in his "whatever" mode. "I'm not serious a while ago."

Of course Momo is easily annoyed, he stared at Ryoma, "So what are you trying to say?!"

"I'm just so good."

Momo can't punch a freshman like Ryoma so he just ignored Ryoma but still angry.

At the other side, Sakuno was waiting outside the men's changing room, waiting for Ryoma. And as expected, Ryoma came out.

"Ryoma," Sakuno called out while blushing.  
Ryoma looked back, "Hmmm?"

"C-Can… Can I…"

"Can you what?"

"Can we go to the first year corridor together?" She turned red when she said that, and can't believe that SHE just said that.

Ryoma stared at her like he's staring at a weirdo, but suddenly smiled, "Sure."

Sakuno can't believe that she was now in a big success not like the past days that she can't find a way to talk to Ryoma in a right way.

Ryoma, while walking, then asked, "What do you want?"

Sakuno was a little nervous that time, "No-Nothing… I just wanted to talk to you."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Uhhhmmm…"

"Look, if you don't have any business with me then just tell me, because I still have an important thing to do."

Sakuno was surprised on what Ryoma said. 'Don't let this chance to get lost again, Sakuno!' she told herself.

"Just joking," Ryoma smiled. "So, again, what do you want to talk about?"

Sakuno sighed big, "I just want to talk about… about… your cr-crush here at Seigaku."

"My lovelife?"

"Y-Yes!"

"Well, lovelife really isn't my priority."

"But, you have your own lovelife before?"

"I never fell in love with someone, in my whole life, I never did."

"How can that be??"

"I'm into tennis, as you see today."

"Ohh, I see."

"How 'bout you?"

"Me? Uhm… I fell in love many times. And as of now, I don't know if I'm in love again or not."

"Huh?"  
"You can't understand, unless you felt it before. But you never did."

Ryoma just laughed, "Why do you want to talk with me just about that?"

Sakuno can't answer as she turned red, redder, and redder.

Ryoma stopped laughing, "Why? Do you have a CRUSH on ME?"

Sakuno can't take it anymore and she ran as fast as she could, 'Why in the world did I ran away?!' she thought. 'And now I did it, Ryoma knows already!'

At Ryoma's side, Horio saw what happened and overheard the last sentence that Ryoma said, "Why did SHE run?"

"I don't know," Ryoma replied. "I just asked her if she has a crush on me and I was only joking that time, but she ran away before I say that it's just a joke."

"It only means one thing…"

"What?"

"That she really has a crush on you!"

"Huh? How can you say?"

"Duh… If a girl acts she's nervous when she's with a boy, then that boy is her crush, or vice versa. Look at what she just acted. See?"

Ryoma is in his "whatever" mode again, still don't realize what Horio is trying to tell him because, as he said a while ago, he didn't fell in love with a girl once.

Then we'll go to Sakuno as she went straight to the washroom running away from Ryoma. She was panting and Tomoka saw her.

"Sakuno?" Tomoka said as if she was shocked. "Why are you panting?"

Sakuno looked back and can't speak a word because she's catching for breath. Tomoka patted Sakuno's back in order to comfort her. Few seconds later, Tomoka asked her, "What happened?"

"R-Ryoma…" Sakuno replied slightly panting.

"Ryoma?!" Tomoka shouted, really surprised and curious. "Did something happen to you and Ryoma-my-love?!"

"U-Uhh… I walked with him along the corridor of the fresh--"

Before Sakuno could actually finish, Tomoka interrupted her saying, "You walked with HIM?! It means you walked TOGETHER?!"

"Y-Ye-Yes." Sakuno answered a little shocked.

"You're so **LUCKY**, Sakuno! I want to be with Ryoma as well! How did you do it?"

"I asked him to."

"How??"

"I just asked him if we can walk together. He just smiled and said yes. But I'm also a bit nervous that time…"

"Oh, I see. By the way, why are you panting?"

"I-I ran away…"

"You ran away? Why?"

"We were talking about each others' lovelife--"

Tomoka interrupted again and Sakuno wasn't able to finish what she was saying, "**HIS LOVELIFE?!** Tell me about it!"

"I will tell you! Just let me finish."

"Ok, sorry."

"And we were talking about each others' lovelife and he told me that he hasn't been in love once. He asked me if why I want to talk about it. He also asked me, 'Why? Do you have a crush on me?' Hearing that, of course, I ran away. I turned redder and redder that time and I can't take it anymore. I don't have left to say…"

They frowned on what Sakuno stated and went outside of the washroom to go to their classroom and have their discussion.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Today was the day after what happened yesterday. Sakuno can't show herself in front of Ryoma everytime they are about to meet ways. Sakuno goes the other way while Ryoma goes on.

"What with that girl?" Ryoma asked Horio.

"I told you," Horio said, muching the every chips he eat while walking, "She really HAS a crush on you. Why won't you believe me?"

"I don't know! Is it possible to judge a person by just that? Can you tell it just by what she did?"

"Yes! Yes, of course, modern days… Almost all of teenagers are like that. Why won't you get yourself up and find it for yourself?"

"I play Tennis everyday. It's just a waste of time if I stick with the world you are saying."

"But Ryoma, life isn't just tennis, you know. You can't live by tennis alone."

Ryoma seemed to be in his "whatever" mode but deep inside, he understood what Horio said.

Later on, after tennis practice at dismissal, he approached some of his senpais. His senpais, Eiji, Fuji and Momo, looked back with a face asking "What?" Ryoma answered them, "C-Can I go with you?" The 3 senpais smiled that says "Yes." and Ryoma went on with them.

"Ochibi," Eiji said, "Why did you come with us so suddenly?"

"I-I just want to explore…" Ryoma replied shyly.

"Explore?" Fuji asked raising his left eyebrow.

"Explore!" Ryoma exclaimed. "I always go straight back to my house and play tennis with my stupid dad after our dismissal practice. On weekends, I'm always inside our house, doing nothing. Of course, I also want to go out sometimes."

"And why did you choose to be with us or not with Horio?" Momo asked. After that statement, Momo's voice here changed. It's like teasing Ryoma saying, "Or together with your fan girls… You have many of them. Why don't you go with them?"

"I don't want to," Ryoma replied straight to the point.

"Eh?" Momo said a bit shocked, "You're the only guy I met who doesn't go out with **their** fan girls. If I were you, I will date them ALL!"

"I'm not like you," Ryoma said, snobbing Momo, "I do NOT take advantage like what you are planning to do."

Eiji and Fuji laughed. Momo was a bit annoyed, again, with Ryoma because Ryoma always leaves him no words left to say.

"I'm asking to you again Momo's question serious--" said Fuji but interrupted by Eiji saying, "Why not Horio?"

"Uhh… It's because," Ryoma stopped a bit to think of a fine reason not because he doesn't want to. Seconds later, he said, "It's because sometimes he's a dumb person to talk to."

The 3 just nodded and then Fuji asked, "Why not girls, just like Momo said a while ago?"

"In case there is a **boy talk** I want to talk about, of course, I can't talk with girls like that," said Ryoma who's eyes rolls around.

They talked about many things until they decided to go to a burger shop--the burger shop where they used to go--because of Momo. It is always Momo's decision if they eat. They ate their mirienda there and went to the mall after that. Ryoma observed that what Horio told him was right, that he must be at the MODERN WORLD as Horio said.

Later on, Eiji decided to go home saying, "Hey, let's go home now. I'm a bit tired of walking and walking around. Can we go home now?"  
They all agreed to Eiji and decided to go home and Ryoma said "Thanks." to his senpais for that day.

When Ryoma arrived home, Nanjirou approached him with such loud voice, "Ryoma! Why did arrive home late?!"

"I went with my senpais," Ryoma said dull, "We went out just for entertainment, that's all."

"You must come home early!"

"And why should I do that? I'm a free man after all."

"I don't have any opponent to play tennis with!"

"Play with yourself, I want to explore."

Then Ryoma went straight up to his room.

"You are becoming a beautiful lad now, Ryoma," Nanjirou whispered to himself."

Ryoma, in his room, lied down on his cottony and soft bed with the aircon turned on. This time, he seemed to be different. At the past few days, Ryoma feels so tired everytime he lays down on his bed, but now, he felt tireless. I think he wants to EXPLORE more of the world, but no one can tell why he is like that.

After thinking of what could happen at his tennis, he suddenly thought, 'Maybe Horio was right. I must stick in with others. Wait… I can go out with Ryuzaki! After all, she **has** a **crush **on me. But of course, I won't take advantage like Momo-senpai wants me to do. It's decided. I'll go out with that Ryuzaki, she's cute.' Ryoma smiled and felt asleep as Karupin sleeps beside him.


End file.
